Hi! I have a questio
[2022-10-10 07:53:36 PM] : Hi! I have a question. I have a few audiences staring me in the face that I could easily use because I've worked with them before, but these areas are SO crowded. know that working with small business owners/women business owners/writers/creative people could work, but I've been in that world for a long time and it's kind of exhausting and very competitive. Maybe I should just pick one and do the process to find a unique way to serve these people that isn't so crowded? I guess my thinking is that these audiences are so over-served, not sure how I would add. I love the ruby developers idea because it feels so specific and likely less dense. What do you do when your audiences have seen it all? My other identities/communities I'm in: writer, copywriter, brand strategist, content creator, substack writer, course creator.
1 Reply
[2022-10-10 08:01:10 PM] : There is a beautiful and illustrative fact about of your note about Ruby devs: all of the Ruby devs think the same way about Ruby being saturated and overserved as you do about your options :wink:
[2022-10-10 08:01:55 PM] : We've never seen someone struggle because they picked an "overserved" audience because truthfully, that isn't a real thing!
[2022-10-10 08:02:21 PM] : It sounds like you have a bunch of good options.
[2022-10-10 08:03:46 PM] : I would try ranking them by any advantages you have:
• existing connections, relationships, or trust.
• built in experiences or first hand understanding
• any other strengths you might have!
[2022-10-10 08:05:31 PM] : If any of your options stand out as having more built in advantages for you, that's your "best" choice.
If you find yourself choosing between a few options that seem "equal" - pick one!
[2022-10-10 08:06:52 PM] : The idea of a perfect or "ideal" customer is an easy trap to get stuck in. The only reliably bad choice (within the basic 30x500 rules) is not making a choice :wink:
[2022-10-10 08:08:32 PM] : Uniqueness is less important than serving them in a way that makes them feel understood
[2022-10-10 08:09:12 PM] : That's your mark to hit, and that has nothing to do with what other people are creating or doing!
[2022-10-10 08:09:20 PM] : okay! yeah, I think I wanted out of the industry because I'm burnt out but I have a lot of experience in these areas! I guess I need to trust the process!
[2022-10-10 08:09:34 PM] : that's so funny about developers
[2022-10-10 08:09:35 PM] : THAT is a super common feeling
[2022-10-10 08:09:39 PM] : cause I was like boy that's good
[2022-10-10 08:09:41 PM] : hahahaha
[2022-10-10 08:09:55 PM] : but I think that's because EVERYONE I know serves business owners
[2022-10-10 08:09:59 PM] : so I'm like boooooo
[2022-10-10 08:10:00 PM] : hahaha
[2022-10-10 08:10:00 PM] : Grass is always greener
[2022-10-10 08:10:36 PM] : and they are very "make money" focused but I'd really like to find a way to serve this market without it being like
[2022-10-10 08:10:42 PM] : you'll make __money
[2022-10-10 08:11:08 PM] : There are SO MANY PAINS among small business owners. It's basically all pain!
[2022-10-10 08:13:59 PM] : As someone who has been in the "how to make money online" space for 15 years, most of it isn't good because people don't really care about anything other than money. Which is good because it makes lots of room for people who actually DO care.
[2022-10-10 08:15:37 PM] : Focusing on kinds of businesses that you know well, or through a specific angle or aspect of business, provides TONS of options and ways for you to use your advantages
[2022-10-10 08:16:23 PM] : The ones staring you in the face...are worth staring back, with the right lens :smile:
[2022-10-10 08:17:37 PM] : From a twitter thread I wrote this morning:
[2022-10-10 08:17:41 PM] : https://twitter.com/alexhillman/status/1579497508879097856?s=46&t=zFGhJMhLXFEYNCTXoAguhQ
[2022-10-10 08:18:39 PM] : it is ALL PAIN
[2022-10-10 08:18:40 PM] : for real hahahaha
[2022-10-10 08:19:38 PM] : At one point I was gonna focus my own business on creative people (writers, creators, etc) but is that not an audience? I was gonna make an assumption of wanting to help folks like me who want to make good money but also want to have space to write their books, create, etc
[2022-10-10 08:20:08 PM] : but I THINK that's not an ajudience that's my assumption!
[2022-10-10 08:20:15 PM] : and Creative people is too vague
[2022-10-10 08:21:01 PM] : It can be where you end up, but I'd suggest focusing on a specific kind of creator to get traction.
[2022-10-10 08:21:04 PM] : omg THIS IS ME NOT USING MY ADVANTAGES
[2022-10-10 08:21:12 PM] : sigh called out
[2022-10-10 08:21:58 PM] : Because with products (unlike services) people want to know it's EXACTLY for them. So the more specific you can be, the easier it is to skip the dead end of "is this for me"?
[2022-10-10 08:22:59 PM] : I feel like maybe thoughtleaders might also be an audience I've addressed before. People who want to communicate big ideas online via books, content creating, etc
[2022-10-10 08:23:37 PM] : As someone who is building a body of work online and have carved out a little niche in k-pop of all places
[2022-10-10 08:23:43 PM] : it's something I still enjoy hmmmm
[2022-10-10 08:24:14 PM] : I also really enjoy the product creation process (info product) and have a LOT of experience making infoproducts
[2022-10-10 08:24:42 PM] : I don't think many thought leaders who call themselves that - it's more like authors, public speakers, etc.
Again, an opportunity to be specific and speak to people directly, using an identity they use to describe themselves.
[2022-10-10 08:24:57 PM] : yeah they wouldn't call themselves that!
[2022-10-10 08:25:02 PM] : it would be like writers and stuff
[2022-10-10 08:25:07 PM] : so maybe i should focus on writers!
[2022-10-10 08:25:42 PM] : Or again, specific kinds of writers.
[2022-10-10 08:25:57 PM] : right hmmmmm
[2022-10-10 08:26:05 PM] : Authors vs B2B copywriters vs documentation writers vs.....
[2022-10-10 08:26:15 PM] : ah yeah
[2022-10-10 08:26:53 PM] : uhhhh hahah
[2022-10-10 08:26:54 PM] : And even within authors, nonfiction vs fiction. History vs how-to.
[2022-10-10 08:27:00 PM] : UHHHHHH
[2022-10-10 08:27:02 PM] : hmmmm
[2022-10-10 08:27:26 PM] : You don't have to pick perfectly or hyper-specifically at this stage
[2022-10-10 08:28:00 PM] : okay!
[2022-10-10 08:28:01 PM] : Cuz again, this isn't about picking your FOREVER audience. It's picking a place to start, so you can learn and refine wirh Safari.
[2022-10-10 08:28:27 PM] : Oof, mobile phone typos :sob:
[2022-10-10 08:28:39 PM] : yes okay
[2022-10-10 08:29:01 PM] : so maybe i'll safari with writers first
[2022-10-10 08:29:11 PM] : or course creators
[2022-10-10 08:29:23 PM] : See what you find!
[2022-10-10 08:29:31 PM] : And refine from there
[2022-10-10 08:30:43 PM] : thank you alex!!!!!
[2022-10-10 08:30:55 PM] : I'll try not to think and just safari
[2022-10-10 08:31:00 PM] : Very welcome :smile:
[2022-10-10 08:33:05 PM] : As you'll learn, Safari IS def thinking. That's the while point!
It's just a way of thinking based on evidence you observe, vs making guesses. It's thinking based on what you see, vs what you think you know.
[2022-10-10 08:33:57 PM] : It's overthinking (without evidence) that's the trap :wink:
[2022-10-10 08:45:03 PM] : exactly
[2022-10-10 08:45:10 PM] : not "overthinking" or making assumptions
[2022-10-10 08:45:15 PM] : before I actually know
[2022-10-10 08:45:19 PM] : via safari!
[2022-10-10 08:45:30 PM] : :raised_hands:
[2022-10-11 12:31:31 AM] : Shenee Howard
I ENVY YOU!
:angry:
You have so many excellent potential audiences.
I am currently stuck at identifying a suitable audience, and am faced with having to magically create one. Magically, because so far I did not find an instant process for creating an audience suitable for me.
It seems that all potential audiences otherwise available to me are tiny, consist of people who do not pay well, and/or I cannot give them excellent service because I do not have enough control of the platform.
I wish you luck and success in choosing a suitable audience and profitably serving it. Maybe you have a process for creating suitable audiences, are not currently conscious of it and can share it with us audience-deprived people? :kissing_heart:
[2022-10-11 03:24:48 PM] : > Uniqueness is less important than serving them in a way that makes them feel understood
I recently re read Badass Users. There’s a bit in there re competition along the lines of the goal is really “our users are better than this than their users” … this being whatever you’re helping your audience achieve.
[2022-10-11 03:31:31 PM] : Oh I love this idea a lot and I do think the shift of focusing on the type of users I want vs. the community as a whole will be helpful!
[2022-10-11 03:32:09 PM] : Omer Zak I hope you find an audience that will work for you!!!! It was suprisingly hard for me to figure out haha
[2022-10-11 03:37:51 PM] : On audience selection. Don’t feel alone. I certainly struggled with this. Not least because I couldn’t find my first one online. I was also unsure about whether I’d like them and whether I wanted my own identity to still be associated with them. (Bit deep I know but hey!)
I’ve now changed twice and in a way I am glad I practised all the skills here on a different audience - I’m not great now but I was terrible before!
One thing that surprised me was that whilst serving an audience you don’t really need to be that invested in them - not in the same way as you do a real job. This is subtle. I’ve ended up spending way more time invested in learning how best to communicate with my audience and then enjoying seeing them succeed. The people who put me off my industry are not the ones I attract so I rarely come across them. Hope this helps a bit. Get the reps in and #keeptruckin :blush:
[2022-10-11 03:46:34 PM] : Samir Do you mean this book?
https://www.amazon.com/Badass-Making-Awesome-Kathy-Sierra/dp/1491919019
[2022-10-11 03:47:30 PM] : I do. I think it’s a recommended text for the course still.
[2022-10-11 04:07:42 PM] : no Samir I totally UNDERSTAND THIS idea of not wanting to be identified with that audience. This is exactly it! Thanks for saying this!
[2022-10-11 05:49:23 PM] : > The people who put me off my industry are not the ones I attract so I rarely come across them.
[2022-10-11 05:49:30 PM] : BINGO.